Dot Hack Temptress' Aftermath
by Rogue A.I
Summary: .hack QUARANTINE spoilers. Elk's world has been torn apart by a certain person with a certain bracelet...also contains random drabble.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Gah.I don't mean to copy Jonathan Priest with this story (who is a totally amazing author- .hack/ fans MUST read his works now!), I just had to write this after getting to this point in the game!This story starts with extreme angst, and turns to fluff along the way. Flames will be eliminated- (PhaRue Zot!- Mistral) Constructive critisicm welcomed gladly- please tell me if any of the people are OOC- although you have to allow me creative license with Elk, because of what he's been through. Note: There are spoilers for the game .hack/QUARANTINE, so read at your own risk!

**To kill a friend is monstrous. To have to kill a friend is fatal. To betray your friends is frowned upon. To have to betray your friends is wrong. To sacrifice one's life to save many is commendable. To sacrifice your best's friend life to save strangers is heartbreaking. Combine these points, and it is only a matter of time before one self-destructs.**

He dropped his staff, and let out a heart-rending scream, a scream of primal fury and anger, a scream of loss and total defeat. He sank to his knees, and sobbed his heart out. He blamed Kite wholly for this. With the very bracelet that took his dear friend from him, Kite ensnared her, and she only had eyes for his cursed bracelet. He lay, and wept. He had no energy to get up, and lay for a good while longer. He remembered the scene, powerless to try and forget…

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"_Thank you, Elk…" The dying cat-woman spoke wearily. _

"_No! Mia!" The wavemaster cried, clutching his staff in shaking hands. A distraught-looking Kite cradled her…_

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_Cradled her…him! That…that…_

Elk clenched a fist, and leaned on his staff to help him up… Without Mia, his life was nothing…he had heard the tales of comatose victims…it was regrettable that…_his_ friend had fallen unconscious…but from the way Kite acted, Orca didn't mean that much to him. BlackRose was considerably more upset for her brother…Kazu? Well, whatever his name was, Elk did not blame BlackRose. _He _was leading her on…and they all followed him like sheep after the shepherd. He didn't care about his friend Orca…and Mia meant so much to Elk…maybe Elk could somehow find a way to become comatose…at least he wouldn't have to concentrate on muffling the pain, and living without Mia.

The sickly, pale boy pulled off his headset, wiping his eyes, and noticed that the BBS had new content. He looked at all the subjects…and noticed a topic entitled "Weird Monster." He selected it, and read the posts, scrolling down painstakingly.

_Author: marin_

_marin saw a monster with weird green scales. marin was scared. it had a weird name and scrambled health. marin ran fast, and managed to escape. does this mean the rumours are true?_

_Author: Celery_

_I saw it too, at Lambda, Writhing Solitary Wavemaster. Luckily we managed to escape! The rumour I heard was about people going into comas…do these monsters cause comas?_

_Author: Micino_

_My friend has been hospitalised… We were told that a certain area had a rare item- Theta Hidden Eternal Aqua Field… I escaped; only thanks to my friend…he delayed the monster…_

The boy wrote down the keywords slowly, before putting his headset back on, and picking up his controller.

Elk logged in and looked around. He was in Fort Ouph…the keywords… Maybe he'd try the words on the Theta server first; it would be easier to reach the bottom alone. The wavemaster touched the Chaos Gate, and rings enveloped him. It was a quick move from server to server, and then to field. This field was Wood Element…it reminded him of Mia…he clutched his heart as he felt a sharp pain at it, and stumbled to the dungeon entrance, the pain decreasing to a dull throbbing.

Elk rose his staff, and cried,

"Vulcan Ch!" The weak water-element monsters had no chance, and were blasted with pyrotechnics from the fire summon. Elk clenched his fists, taking out part of his anger on the monsters. He was too lost in anger to notice the lack of purple flames marking the doorway as he entered.

"Empty?" The boy frowned. At once, his confusion seethed inside him, turning to boiling rage. _HE_ had been here! Elk took out a Sprite Ocarina, and returned to the dungeon mouth. Elk gated out, and switched servers. Elk jumped as he heard the creepy music. It reminded him of spiders moving…he was never afraid when with Mia…He scowled, and arrived in the field.

The wavemaster electrified the darkness monsters with minimal difficulty. A shadow of a grin flitted across his face as he noticed the purple flames denoting the doorway. He clutched his staff, and paced through the doorway.

Elk laughed as he spotted the monster portal. He ran towards it giddily, and grinned as a green-flaked monster rushed at him. Its name was simply "I!nba£$ T&ta¬" and its health was unreadable. Elk savoured the pain as the monster punched at him. An advantage of the bracelet was that he could feel pain. Before long, the awful clanging sound could be heard as Elk's health fell dangerously low. He braced himself as he prepared for the monster's last swing, and unconscious bliss-

It never came. Elk opened his eyes, and saw, to his immense fury, BlackRose, Wiseman and…_him_ whittling down the monster's protection. Elk growled, and static flickered across his vision as the monster was suddenly normal, and Kite was rubbing his wrist and trying to hide the pain. Wiseman threw him a Recovery Drink as BlackRose cut down the monster, but Elk didn't take it.

"What the hell were you doing!" BlackRose prodded him, and he jumped. Kite looked positively terrible, Wiseman looked pitying, and BlackRose was worried and angry.

"I don't need you or your stupid bracelet. Leave. Me. ALONE!" Elk's voice rose into a part-scream, part-shout, and he used a Sprite Ocarina. The last thing he saw was BlackRose looking positively guilty, Wiseman unchanged, and Kite closing his eyes sorrowfully…

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"Uh…excuse me…" Elk's eyes snapped open, and he found BlackRose staring down at him. Elk sat bolt upright. What was the time? How long had he been logged in? His clock told him he had been here for hours…he had been here since Friday night, and it was now very early on Saturday morning. He rubbed his eyes, and was surprised as BlackRose sat down timidly. BlackRose was mouthy, snappy, but never timid! Elk hugged his knees, and mumbled,

"I don't want to talk right now…" BlackRose sighed, and ploughed on regardless,

"Elk…please believe me…Kite is so worried...he fears for you! He said-" Elk shook his head with venom.

"I don't want to hear anything about your precious Kite!" He snapped with a ferocity that stunned even himself. BlackRose's hands started to shake, and she breathed deeply.

"He hasn't logged off since the…data bug incident. The last time I saw him was yesterday morning...he was zoned out...all he does is talk about how he hurt you, and how he wants me to help him destroy the bracelet. I…I really think he's losing it, Elk…" BlackRose's voice trembled, and she seemed tearful. "He said that maybe if he was put into a coma…maybe killed…that Mia could return…" Elk raised his head slowly.

"He said that?" Curiosity overcame the bitter wavemaster. BlackRose nodded, and Elk got up, and took her hand. BlackRose was taken aback by Elk's confidence.

"Please, tell me! Where is he?" BlackRose took a shaky breath and stammered,

"Hidden Forbidden H-Holy Ground…" Elk thanked her, and left at a great speed…

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Kite sat at the pew, staring with glassy eyes at the statue of Aura. At once, his reverie was broken as he heard footsteps echo throughout the cathedral. He was too exhausted to even turn around. Suddenly, he felt himself being dragged by the arm to the front of the cathedral, right below the statue. He looked up wearily, and his eyes grew wide with shock.

"…!" He was too tired for words, but a gasp escaped his lips as Elk looked down at him with strength.

"Kite! I am so, so, so sorry! I didn't understand…I know you liked Mia…I was jealous! You killed her…" Elk stopped, and restarted, "No, I'm sorry. You had to kill her. I understand!" Elk babbled, and ground to a halt. He heard a terrible sobbing sound from Kite, and clutched his staff uncomfortably. What would Mia do? No, what would Elk do?

Elk threw his staff aside, and sat down, so he was at the same level as Kite. Kite paused momentarily to look at Elk with confusion. Elk then hugged Kite. Kite blushed, and stopped weeping. Elk spoke with a new confidence never seen before, "Kite, please always act on what you think is right. Mia would say this too, and I want to be as strong as her…I can't do this without you!" Kite took a deep breath, and replied,

"When I gave you your staff, and you told me you didn't usually receive presents…it sounded like you had…well, a tough life. When I heard this, I vowed to protect you…I've let you down…" Kite stopped, tears threatening to fall again.

"You have…you did the right thing, and you helped Mia. Remember when she kicked me out of the fight? She did this to protect me…and you released her from her monstrous prison! I wish I was like you…you always do everything right. I want to be as strong as you!" Elk released Kite, and the two smiled. Elk got up, and sat next to Kite, and they sat in silence for a long while.

"Kite! Elk!" A fearful BlackRose cried, tailed by Wiseman and a recently called up Gardenia. They rushed into the cathedral, and halted abruptly, unsure what to make of the pair. The heavy silence was broken by the laugh of Elk, and the gloomy atmosphere was shattered by Kite's smile.


	2. Alternate: Part one of two

A/N: Alright, so I couldn't leave it there. I wanted to try out an alternate version of the story... I don't mean to copy Jonathan Priest with the idea! Again, spoilers, and criticism welcomed gladly. Please point out the characters who are very OOC, and not within their rights to be OOC (e.g. Elk who is taken over by anger!) This is a two-shot, where as chapter 1 is a one shot. With that, let us commence the angst fest!

**To kill a friend is monstrous. To have to kill a friend is fatal. To betray your friends is frowned upon. To have to betray your friends is wrong. To sacrifice one's life to save many is commendable. To sacrifice your best's friend life to save strangers is heartbreaking. Combine these points, and it is only a matter of time before one self-destructs.**

He clenched his fists, and threw down his staff in sheer anger. The staff noisily bounced off of the grassy plain, and he cried out with fury. He continued in this manner for a while before, overcome with fatigue, he sank to his knees, and then lay down. His breathing was irregular, and he lay quite still for a good while longer, inhaling the sweet aroma of the fresh grass. He didn't want to be able to use his senses inside the game. He could smell the sultry sour air in a lava field and he could taste the warming sweet nectar that was a Recovery Drink. However, with these advantages came disadvantages. He could feel the chill of an icy field, and could feel the bone-crushing agony of swift flurries of punches delivered by monsters.

Elk cursed Kite for all of this. It was Kite who had taken everything he had away from him. Not only did _he _capture Mia with his "special" bracelet that nobody could even see, _he _also murdered his dear friend Mia in cold blood… It was a good thing that Mia had logged him out, as he probably would have attacked Kite vengefully if he had remained. Was there nothing he could do to avenge Mia's death at the hands of Kite?

At once he was shaken from his dark thoughts by a clear pinging sound…Kite had flash mailed him. He ignored it angrily, and then abruptly changed his mind as Kite persisted with his ceaseless mailing. Elk blinked, and then stood up, picking up his staff as well. He accepted the invite to join Kite's party, wondering if he could sabotage Kite's mission…Kite always had to be the hero…

Kite stared into space, but hurriedly smiled unconvincingly as Elk gated in, golden rings circling the wavemaster. Kite nodded to Elk, and to BlackRose, who had come previously, and then explained what he needed of them.

"I need to get more Virus Cores to gate hack to a certain area…I think this is where the next Phase is hidden…" Kite trailed off uncomfortably as Elk stiffened unconsciously. Elk then returned to normal, nodding lazily and clutching his staff.

"Um…I was wondering…do you know anything about the next Phase?" Elk asked, seemingly timid, plotting all the while. Kite seemed to relax at seeing Elk act characteristically, and replied,

"From the parts of the Epitaph of Twilight I have, it seems that this one is called Tarvos…and his title is 'The Avenger'." Elk nodded slowly, his mind a maze of turmoil. Avenger…that meant vengeance…maybe Elk could contribute towards Kite's possible downfall at the hands of this Phase.

The party members appeared in a field full of trees that stretched as far as the eyes could see. This field was a dungeon in itself because of the layout of the place. While Kite and BlackRose battled, Elk absent-mindedly healed them while crafting his plan. Several times, static disrupted his chain of thought as the monsters were replaced by little weak monsters, and Kite tried to cope with the pain of the bracelet doing its bit. Elk lagged behind as Kite and BlackRose ran. He eavesdropped on them carefully.

"Do you think Elk is alright? I mean..Mia's gone…" BlackRose asked. Kite tensed, and sharply responded,

"I don't know." BlackRose seemed put off by Kite's sudden change in mood, but was undeterred nonetheless.

"He seems too recovered…" BlackRose stopped after Kite seemed to glare at her…

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"Right…I just need to gate hack, and then we're good to go." Kite addressed BlackRose, and Gardenia, who had replaced Elk for this important battle. Elk stayed around, watching their movements. Few players roamed the Omega Server, due to the graphics, and it being very late at night. As the screen flickered, he recognised a successful gate hack, and hurriedly warped to the area, as Kite stiffened with shock, and BlackRose called,

"What is he doing!"

Elk grinned insanely as the field was covered with viral patterns, and ran towards the dungeon. He prepared himself for normal monsters, but as he entered, he stumbled, and caught himself using his staff. It was not a dungeon…but an odd wasteland field, with luminous blue lines across the barren ground. He looked up, and struggled to suppress a scream as a huge inhuman shape, unlike anything he had ever seen before, hovered a few metres in front of him. The…thing was like a snake with a spear stabbed through it. The liquid-dripping eyes were the feature that almost made Elk turn tail and run.

_Little wavemaster…you seek me?_

Elk mutely nodded, clutching his staff. The thing seemed to stare at Elk, yet it made no move to attack.

_I sense jealousy in you…envy…and anger? So strong. You want to avenge a friend?_

Elk breathed deeply a few times, before managing to stutter,

"Y-yes. Her n-name is Mia…" The…Phase still floated, unmoving.

_Mia…the name is familiar…Macha? One of us?_

Elk nodded again, and the thing seemed to roar. Elk cowered.

_Now I see. You want to kill the one in red! You want vengeance…I think I can help you. My name is Tarvos. If you can somehow destroy the bracelet…no, no. I am asking too much of you, little wavemaster-_

Elk cut Tarvos off indignantly.

"No!" He immediately realised who he was talking to, shivered, and continued. "I mean…I think I can do this."

_Then you must hurry, little wavemaster. The one in red will most likely put an end to me in a week. You must persuade him not to, and try and buy yourself and me some time._

"Of course…I will start now! Thank you!" Elk bowed, and Tarvos and his field faded. A trembling but happier Elk left the dungeon, and gated out.

Elk jumped as he was grabbed by BlackRose, who dragged him to where Kite was standing, and berated him.

"What the hell were you doing! You could have been put into a coma!" She continued for a while, but Elk paid no heed until Kite spoke up,

"You weren't data drained…was there really a Phase there?" Elk immediately foresaw how he could use this to his advantage.

"No…I went to the bottom, and there was just an empty room." Elk replied. Kite frowned,

"I should contact Lios then…well, you should be careful Elk." Elk clenched his fist. He wanted no sympathy or care from Kite, of all people. BlackRose was still fuming.

"Uh…Kite, can I talk to you alone?" BlackRose's eyes widened and she stomped up to Elk. He winced as he was jabbed in the chest by BlackRose.

"You already caused enough trouble and-" Kite raised a hand, and BlackRose was silenced. He nodded, and invited Elk to a field. A smouldering BlackRose logged out.

Kite turned to Elk as they sat under a tree lazily.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about? If it's about BlackRose, ignore her…" Elk closed his eyes for a moment, willing the adrenalin to subside, and then opened his eyes, whispering,

"For Mia." He then lunged with his staff, and it met the wrist of a paralysed-with-shock Kite. Elk prayed it worked, and then he heard a terrible smashing sound as green lights rose into the virtual sky. Kite had no time to react before an awful white-hot pain spread from his wrist to the rest of him. He screamed, and Elk cowered, hugging knees to chest. An incandescent light blinded Elk temporarily and when he recovered his vision, Kite was lying amongst the grass, clutching his wrist. Fragments of shattered bracelet lay around the field. Kite seemed conscious. Terror rose in Elk, and he gated out hurriedly.

The Omega server was deserted this late at night, and Elk shakily warped to the field of Tarvos. He rushed inside the dungeon, and the wasteland field returned, with Tarvos watching Elk.

"It's done…"

_You are impressive, little wavemaster. Now you must lure the one in red here, then you will have your reward, and I mine._

"I...I d-don't know if I w-want to do this..." Elk fearfully stammered. Tarvos roared, and Elk trembled, mumbling,

"I will do as you say!" He escaped an annoyed Tarvos, and returned to the Omega server. There was no sign of Kite…Elk warped to the field where he had seen Kite last… The only sign of unusual activity was shards of data lying around…from the bracelet. Elk was on the verge of tears. How could he have done this? Wasn't Kite doing the right thing? Elk breathlessly hurried to a tree, and lay under it, trying to forget this painful event, and Tarvos' order…

"…Elk." Elk's eyes snapped open to see, of all things, a Data Bug staring at him. He sat bolt upright in fear, and grabbed his staff. "Tarvos…the red one…soon….or else…" The Data Bug convulsed and was deleted. It must have been created simply to carry a message…was Tarvos so powerful he could delete monsters like that easily? Elk breathed in the calming scent of the grass, and got to his feet painstakingly slowly. He remembered Kite's cry of pain, and he decided that he wasn't going to betray Kite…he needed to atone for his heinous crime…without the bracelet, Tarvos would certainly hunt him down… He noticed that it was early morning…he had been logged in for at least twenty-four hours. He gated out, a new resolve taking him.

Elk gated in, and the first user he saw was a grim Wiseman. Elk felt panicked.

"He's gone to the field…you lied. You sent Kite to his doom." Wiseman's piercing glare bored into Elk, and Elk felt a lump in his throat. He tried to apologise, but his courage left him. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. Then he clenched his fist, using up every last drop of courage he possessed. He looked Wiseman in the eyes.

"No. I won't let him be doomed." Wiseman was most taken aback, and didn't do anything to stop Elk from warping to the fated field. He ran and ran across the field, ignoring determinedly the unusual patches of raw data. He made it to the dungeon, and he ran through the first few floors without fighting- Kite and his party were already here. He hurried, out of breath, and arrived just as Kite said,

"You stay. Without the bracelet, you can be put into comas. I think I can do this, please let me try." BlackRose grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him backwards. However, her tone was not angry, but hesitant and timid yet strong.

"_No. _You won't go without me!" She stared into his eyes. Kite seemed almost hypnotised. Gardenia simply stood next to Kite. Kite rubbed his head, and sighed.

"I won't have any more trouble on my conscience…" He sighed again. "You're not going to stay put…alright then…" They walked into the room together, and Elk followed.

A deafening roar emitted through the barren field. Kite and his party took their positions. Elk shook, and stood at the edge of the field, trying not to be seen.

_Well, well. It looks like my little wavemaster is stronger than I thought. Forgive me for underestimating you. Unfortunately, now you have assisted me, you have become bound to me, so you will feel my pain and you will be trapped inside this game. However if you stay on the sidelines, I will not hurt you. The one in red is mine!_

Kite wheeled around, and saw Elk. Elk positively squirmed with guilt. Kite wasn't fixing him with a glare, but a look of defeat and sorrow. His eyes seemed to ask Elk why. They fought valiantly, and then Tarvos played his trump card.

BlackRose was lifted up, and time seemed to slow as Tarvos used his odd spear to begin the data drain. Kite screamed with rage and defeat, and Gardenia growled uncharacteristically. Elk had a sudden idea. If he was linked to Tarvos…was Tarvos linked to him? He ran up to Kite as fast as he could, wrestled a dagger from Kite and stabbed himself. Tarvos dropped BlackRose, and roared. Elk slowly smiled through blinding pain, and Gardenia threw him a Recovery Drink. Elk managed to drink it. However, Tarvos was still in pain. Kite gave another wild cry and stabbed Tarvos with his remaining dagger. The words "PROTECT BREAK" flashed on screen.

Tarvos picked up Kite for a data drain, and Kite had a thought. He lifted up his dagger in a blocking stance, and Tarvos shot the data beams at him. Elk was rooted to the spot, his voice frozen in a noiseless scream. BlackRose dropped her sword, and Gardenia growled more. Kite closed his eyes…and the next thing he saw was a pile of connected stones…Tarvos' drain had been deflected by his dagger miraculously and hit the Phase. However, Kite's dagger had been deleted, and his other weapon faded with it. Gardenia and BlackRose returned to their fighting, and Elk threw Kite a pair of weapons he had found in another dungeon.

"I know they're weak…" Kite turned his head, and Elk saw a glimmer of Kite's old self in his eyes. Elk stumbled suddenly, weak for some reason. As Kite looked at the Phase, and added two and two- he had weakened Tarvos, so Elk was weakened too, BlackRose dealt the finishing blow.

Elk shuddered, and as Tarvos collapsed in a heap of rubble, Elk fell backwards with a peaceful smile. Kite hurried to him, catching him.

"I hope you can forgive me for all the pain I caused…I tried to fix it…" Kite spoke, his voice wavering.

"Come on Elk, you can't leave me! You saved the day. You're the real hero…just don't go…you're not Tarvos, you're only connected to him…" Kite stopped, trying not to cry in front of an audience.

Elk closed his eyes.

"I know…I think I'm going into a coma…I wonder if I'll see Mia…BlackRose, please tell everyone I'm sorry…" Elk fell silent, and he dissolved into bright blue glowing balls of light which floated away. Kite stayed crouched, and turned away from BlackRose and Gardenia. They felt awkward as they heard the sound of sobbing.

Gardenia looked at BlackRose meaningfully, and they gated out with Kite in tow.

A pacing Wiseman jumped as the team arrived at the substituted Lia Fail. His eyes were wide as he interrogated the party.

"You survived? Where is Elk? How did you escape-" Kite shook his head, and simply gated out with the word,

"Sorry…" BlackRose sighed, and recounted the tragic story. Wiseman looked rather embarrassed when he heard it, and rubbed his head.

"It was my fault…I was irrational to Elk because I was angry with him…it looks like he didn't intentionally wish to sabotage this mission…so we're fighting to save Elk now?" BlackRose nodded, and said,

"I'm gonna log off now, I've been online for a good few hours. Kite…" She looked around and continued in a hushed tone, "Kite didn't take the whole fiasco well…he had enough trouble with Elk breaking the bracelet- it was a major breach of trust from Elk, and Kite wanted to help Elk live a happy life…I think he's neglected, because he once said how he never received presents when Kite gave him that rare staff…Night, Wiseman!" Wiseman nodded politely, and waved BlackRose off before logging out himself…


	3. Alternate: Part two of two

**A/N: whoops...how could I be so scatterbrained as to forget a disclaimer oo;; I don't own anything from .hack, BANDAI and co own it all! phew, got that over. I have been rather creative with the real names of most of the characters, but I have read that Kite and BlackRose's official names are Kenji and Akira, so I used those in this chapter and the next one. Enjoy!**

"Come on Elk, you can't leave me! You saved the day. You're the real hero…just don't go…you're not Tarvos, you're only connected to him…" Kite stopped, trying not to cry in front of an audience.

Elk closed his eyes.

"I know…I think I'm going into a coma…I wonder if I'll see Mia…BlackRose, please tell everyone I'm sorry…" Elk fell silent, and he dissolved into bright blue glowing balls of light which floated away.

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_The boy cycled along at a leisurely pace along the pavements of the city. He knew exactly where the hospital was…he'd been there before. Reality was as harsh as virtual reality…and the two worlds were intertwining. He'd known this ever since a simple game had affected his friend to the point of comatose unconsciousness._

_He speedily chained his bicycle to the metal pole, and entered the hospital. He regretted it immediately as the medicinal smell of disinfectant hit him. He lowered his head, and continued to the front desk. The receptionist looked up from her computer._

"_Can I help you?" The boy nodded, and it occurred to him that he didn't know his friend's name…well he could always pretend to be visiting Yasuhiko._

"_Yeah, my name's Kenji. I'm visiting my friend Yasuhiko. Where is he?" The receptionist typed in a few commands, and then replied._

"_Ward 12, the one for long-term patients. Follow the blue signs." Kenji nodded his thanks and followed the directions. As he walked, he remembered Elk's show of astounding courage. What had possessed him? Kenji wasn't complaining…Elk saved everyone, yet he was the third friend of Kite- no, Kenji, to be taken by the Phases. Kenji didn't know what he'd do if he lost anyone else, especially BlackRose…why did everyone close to him get hurt? Was he selfish for wanting all his friends to support him? Kenji blinked as he arrived at a turquoise door. It took him all his bravery to enter. _

_He paced down the corridor slowly, wondering where Elk could be. Elk was in a coma too, so he would naturally be in this ward. He heard a low voice talking s higher voice. It sounded like a man and a woman. It was coming from room 7. Kenji stood outside the door silently, trying to eavesdrop. _

"_Look, Aya. I know I haven't exactly looked after him, but he is my son!"_

"_I suppose you never know what you had until it's gone…but you love me more than him, Yori!"_

"_Yes, and maybe I was a fool to do so!"_

_Kenji leaped back as a young woman stormed out crying. He cautiously peeked round the door, and froze as a man saw him._

"_Who are you? What are you doing here?" Thinking quickly, Kenji took a timid tone._

"_Um…I'm from your son's school…they sent me to give you condolences…" Kenji's eyes seemed to beg Yori to let him in._

"_Alright, you can go in and visit him. I'm done anyway. Goodbye…" Yori left and only realised as he left the building that he had never caught the boy's name._

_Kenji felt awkward. He stared at the pale, lifeless boy attached to hospital equipment. Was this Elk? The name on the clipboard at the bottom of the patient's bed read, "Yuudai, Isi." He doubted if this was Elk. A dusty computer sat on a desk near the patient, and Kenji booted it up. He looked at etymology sites until he found the name Isi. He had thought it had sounded foreign. It was a Native American name…and it meant deer. An elk was a type of deer…this had to be him. Kenji cleared his throat._

"_Uh…hello Elk. It's me Kenji - I mean Kite. I kind of found your room, and I thought I'd better visit you…I feel so guilty! First I hurt Mia, now you get put into a coma! It's all my fault…everyone close to me gets hurt. Maybe you should never have made friends with me…I'm sorry Elk! I don't blame you for breaking the bracelet! You were angry… and then you saved me…I should have been put into a coma, I was the one who murdered Mia without regret…I regret it now. I have nightmares…" Kenji trailed off and sighed. He then noticed a headset covered in cobwebs. He brushed them off, and plugged in the headset, placing it on his head. He picked up the controller, and found that this computer had The World on. He logged in…_

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Kite logged in, and nearly walked into BlackRose.

"Where were you?" She asked softly, and Kite squirmed uncomfortably.

"Uh...Had to go out…can you keep it down? I'm kind of in a quite place…"

"Oh! A library! I get it…" Kite scratched his head, and nodded. It would be better for BlackRose not to know the truth. "Let's go to the field where the bracelet broke…see if we can fix things…" They warped to the area, and were greeted with a normal field, save for the torn sky. There were no shards of bracelet lying around and-

BlackRose leaped at an enemy as it crept up behind them. It was promptly protect break-ed and Kite selected a skill to kill the monster when he was presented with an infection level and the skills of Data Drain and the rest. He froze with shock, and BlackRose snuffed out the monster's life. "What's wrong?" She asked, and they fought some more monsters. Kite selected data drain, and BlackRose gasped as she saw the drained monster. "The bracelet!" She shouted, and Kite winced, and then nodded. "How?"

"I think it can only be permanently destroyed if I wish it to be…it was broken against my will, so returned…" He sighed sorrowfully. "Elk's work all came to nothing…poor Isi." He tensed as he realised his slip of the tongue, and BlackRose demanded,

"Who's Isi?" Kite waved his hand airily.

"Nobody. Anyway-" Kite was cut off by a ping sound. His avatar froze as he checked his email then lowered its hands. "Lios says there's something up with a field on the Delta server…sounds like a broken A.I. We should go there now." BlackRose glared at him, but agreed as they gated out and switched servers. Unsurprisingly, the field was protected, and Kite had just enough virus cores to gate hack.

They arrived in a rainy field, and hastened to the dungeon as they got soaked. They made quick work of the weak monsters, and then entered the last room of the dungeon.

"Kite? Help?" Kite clenched his fists and his knuckles whitened as a transparent Elk stared right through him. "Kite? Help?" Elk seemed incapable of saying anything else…he seemed to be here, yet not here. "Want to wake up…want to…" Kite ran to him, and whispered,

"Isi…come back…" Elk appeared to grow more real and Kite grabbed his hand. His bracelet glowed, and shot an odd blue beam at Elk. Elk then whispered,

"Thank you…" before fading into a blue light.

"I have to go now!" Kite apologised to BlackRose, and then turned off the computer at the mains.

---------------------------------------------------------------

_Kenji got up and spun around as the heart rate of the boy increased. He needed to go. He rushed out of the room and past the questioning nurses until he found his bike. He unlocked it and cycled home as fast as he could._

_The boy sat up, and rubbed his eyes._

"_Kite? Kenji?" He sighed, and lay back down, wishing he could have seen Kite, the boy who had killed Mia and rescued him…_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------_

A breathless Kite gated in to a dusky Mac Anu. BlackRose was standing on the bridge, staring at the water. Kite cleared his throat, and BlackRose turned around with an unreadable expression on her face, and muttered,

"Elk's looking for you. He's at Dun Loireag." Kite nodded, thanked BlackRose, and changed servers. He arrived at the Highland Town soon after, feeling the fresh breeze of the mountains on his face. He paced across the rickety planks until he found Elk sitting near a shop. Elk stood up, and Kite suggested that they go to a field. Elk agreed.

"Thank you Kite…for everything…" Elk sat among the grass, and Kite stood up. Kite smiled.

"Thank you Elk. You saved us, and we have the bracelet." Kite turned to go, and caught Elk whispering,

"Goodbye, _Kenji. _May you have happier dreams, and may your friends stay with you no matter what…"

Kite smiled joyfully, and called back,

"See you again, _Isi._" Kite gated out, and Elk did the same soon after.


	4. Drabble Kite's birthday!

**A/N: Bandai owns .hack, if I did, then the whole G.U. thing wouldn't be so messed up... they wrecked Kite/Tri-Edge:( **

**Anyway, this is some random drabble- tis Kite's birthday, and he wants a special gift! I won't ruin it. Btw, since I only know about four characters' official names, I used creative license. Please inform me if I have some names wrong! Enjoy!**

**hack/BIRTHDAY**

"_You never did end up telling me what you wanted to do for your birthday, Kenji. Did you have a suggestion?" The woman called, washing dishes while her son watched the news. At the mention of a person falling comatose at their computer, Kenji turned the television off._

"_Uh…you know I joined that computer club? I was wondering if I could go to a restaurant with them…without you, please?" Kenji did not belong to a computer club. He wanted to meet with his friends in The World offline. They all lived in Japan…with the exception of Sanjuro. The computer club was the perfect excuse, as there were people his age he knew, and people who were older, who could be called technicians or teachers._

"_Well, why not? I know how much you enjoy yourself at the club…" The woman smiled. She had rarely seen her son happy after his friend fell into a coma, and she would be willing to sacrifice supervision of him to make him happy. "Just take your phone, okay? Let's see…today's Thursday, and your birthday's on Sunday…how about having your meal thing on Saturday, and spend Sunday with us?" Kenji grinned._

"_You're the best!" He smiled, and then realised he had only a few days to arrange everything. "I'd better go and email everyone." The woman nodded, and waved him off. _

_Kenji raced up the stairs, and logged into The World._

_---------------------------------------------------------_

The motley crew assembled at the Omega root town talked amongst themselves until Kite arrived.

"I wanted to invite you all to my birthday party…it's about time we all met offline." The group whispered, surprised by Kite's sudden wish to do away with the virtual barrier between the dothackers.

"It's at the restaurant in Tokyo, the one that does all the sushi." Most of the group recognised the place he was referring to except Sanjuro.

"Uh-" Kite sighed.

"I know you live in America, Sanjuro."

"I'm on a business trip to Japan right now! If you can give me directions from the Hotel Midori in Tokyo, then that'll be fine-"

"It's right next to there!" Kite grinned. This would be amazing. Everyone could come, including Sanjuro! "Saturday noon. Can't wait to see you there!" The group all logged off one by one.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"_Father…could you take me to the Jigurashi Sushi restaurant please?" The timid boy asked._

"_Hm? What's that?" Yori absent-mindedly asked while typing on a computer._

"_It's Kenji's birthday party. You know, the Kenji that came to see me in the hospital." Yori wheeled around, mildly surprised._

"_How did you know he came?" _

"_He told me…" The boy, Isi, made excuses. Yori finished typing, looked up and nodded. Isi punched the air delightedly._

_----------------------------------------------------------_

"_Honey! You're pregnant! Are you sure this is a good idea?" The woman nodded._

"_Pleeeeease? I'm meeting up with an old school friend…" The man sighed frustratedly._

"_Alright, 'Mistral'." The woman laughed._

"_You only use my nickname if you're annoyed!" The two quarrelled good-naturedly._

_---------------------------------------------------------_

_Kenji sat at a table. He waited anxiously for everyone to arrive. He didn't know what they looked like in real life…this could be difficult. He looked up as a girl walked through the door. She held a case with a tennis racket in…didn't BlackRose like tennis? The girl looked like BlackRose…except she wasn't as tanned, and her hair wasn't pink. It was a normal-looking shade of brown._

"_BlackRose?" Kenji called nervously. The girl stiffened, and then raced to Kenji's table, sitting down excitedly._

"_Kite! You look kinda like your avatar!" Kenji laughed._

"_So do you, BlackRose…uh, my real name's Kenji…" BlackRose nodded._

"_Mine's Akira. I guess I'm the first here…oh, I forgot something- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Akira grabbed Kenji in a bear hug and he started to suffocate. Akira grinned mischievously and let him go. Kenji went to fix his hat, only to remember he wasn't wearing one. Akira laughed._

"_Kite or Kenji?" Kenji grinned, and they talked until a beautiful woman entered the restaurant. She had long blonde hair, and chocolate brown eyes. She wore a flower in her hair…Kenji didn't know what type of flower it was. She seemed to be pacing around, looking for someone. Akira whispered,_

"_D'you think it's Gardenia?" Kenji shrugged, and caught the woman muttering,_

"_Which one is Kite?" Kenji promptly waved at the woman, who raised an eyebrow, but wandered over nevertheless._

"_Kite? If you're Kite, then you," The woman looked from Kenji to Akira, "must be BlackRose." The pair nodded, and welcomed Gardenia._

"_So, what do you do, Gardenia? We're both in school." Kenji started a polite conversation._

"_I work in my own flower shop. My name is Sakura…" Kenji grinned. How fitting! "You two are rather young to bear so much responsibility. I'm glad I'm assisting you." Kenji nodded._

"_So am I. I couldn't fight without you!" They told each other their real names, and two people entered the restaurant. It was a teenager and a woman who looked to be heavily pregnant. The teenager held the door open for the woman, who smiled and thanked him._

"_Mistral?" Kenji called. The woman smiled a huge smile, and came and sat down. The teenager followed. He looked to be about 16 or 17. _

"_Kite! BlackRose! Nice to see you…and Gardenia too? How about this boy?" It turned out that the teenager was Wiseman…_

_------------------------------------------------------------_

"_Right. now I'll see if I can remember all of your names!" Kenji stood up. He pointed to Akira. "BlackRose. Akira." He pointed to Sakura. "Gardenia. Sakura." He then gestured to a pregnant woman who had enjoyed her meal. "Mistral…Amaya?" The woman grinned as he got it right. He pointed to the teenager. "Wiseman. Akio." The teenager gave him the thumbs up. Kenji then looked at a man in his twenties. "Balmung…Katsuro."_

"_Discounts at the game store- your reward for remembering my name!" Balmung, also known as Katsuro, replied, grinning broadly. Kenji laughed, and then moved to a timid young boy. _

"_Heh, I know you already, Elk, or should I say Isi?" Elk smile, and Kenji pointed at another girl, only she was nearer Kite's age. "Easy! Natsume!" The girl used her real name for her character. He looked over to a strong-looking man in his twenties with long raven-black hair. "Moonstone…Kenshin?" Kenshin nodded. Kenji then moved onto a man in his thirties. "Piros…Kyo." Piros started to ramble about 'He of Fair Eyes', and BlackRose hit him over the head with a napkin. Kenji then looked at a man in his forties, who was muttering about the quality of the food. "You're clearly Marlo, or Takako." Marlo nodded moodily and Kenji pointed to an officious-looking man in a suit. "Sanjuro, or Branson?" Kenji attempted to pronounce the odd-sounding foreign name. He got it right, more or less, and then looked over to an annoying young woman who was on holiday in Japan. "Rachel…Rowena?" The woman nodded. _

_Kenji took a deep breath after listing so many names and looked over at a girl about his age. "Another easy one! Ryoko…" Ryoko beamed at Kenji and he returned the smile. He then moved on to a quirky-looking man in his twenties. "Nuke Usagimaru… Daiki?" Daiki nodded, and mumbled about autographs. Mistral rolled her eyes._

_Everyone applauded as Kenji sat down. Akio stood up and the noise subsided._

"_However this coma business turns out, we must always be friends, and stick together. Now, let's thank Kenji for this get-together!" Akio pretended to conduct the crowd as they wished Kenji many happy returns. As they sung Happy Birthday, Kenji's phone beeped. He fished it out of his pocket, and pressed a button._

"_Yes? No, I'm still at the restaurant- Oi!" Kenji shouted over the din. They quietened down. "Sorry, they're loud. What? Oh, quite a few. About 14. Yes, it is a popular club! Okay, I'll be there in an hour or so! Bye!" Kenji pressed another button, and returned the phone to his pocket._

"_Why don't we exchange telephone numbers?" Branson suggested. Everybody liked this idea, and so they set about doing so. _

_-----------------------------------------------------------_

"_Bye, Akira! Don't hesitate to call! In fact, you live quite near to me. What school do you go to again?" _

"_Fushinawa High." Kenji gasped._

"_So do I! No wonder you looked familiar!"_

"_So it's not just because I look like my avatar! We must live rather near then…say, wanna come round my house next weekend?" Akira asked. Kenji smiled._

"_Yes please!" Isi got up to leave, and Akira threw out a hand to stop him. _

"_Isi, you go to Kenji's school…and mine. Do you want to come round my house next weekend?" Isi smiled._

"_I would love to! We can arrange it over the phone, right?" Akira nodded, and Isi and Akira left, with Kenji in tow. They negotiated the streets, and Isi talked about tennis with Akira. Kenji smiled. This was the best birthday ever!_


End file.
